


Jareth and the Spider from Earth

by AngelGlass



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Arachnophobia, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Kissing, Sarah saves jareth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:35:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27015118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelGlass/pseuds/AngelGlass
Summary: What happens when Jareth, the Goblin King, is confronted with a spider? My submission for the LFFL Labyrinth anniversary challenge: A story from the eyes of a character other than Jareth and Sarah. However, the second chapter does have some of Jareth's and Sarah's POV as it was a sequel written after the challenge took place.
Relationships: Jareth/Sarah Williams
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "I stepped into the shower this morning and there was a spider, just waiting to kill me. I don't tolerate bugs in my house. Either get a job and pay a bill or get out." -David Bowie
> 
> This quote and a quick screenshot from the film during the goblin battle showed a spider inspired me to write this fic, thinking, what if Jareth was terrified of spiders? I hope you'll enjoy this story!
> 
> EDIT: apparently the quote isn't real, not sure, will have to check out the interview myself. I'll still leave it up though, it's still a fun headcanon for Jareth.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated as always! Thank you for giving me a chance in reading this story.

While all the other goblins were waiting for the girl to say the right words, Evie was mesmerized by a fuzzy, eight legged creature.

The spider was taken by her, not jumping or scurrying away. It walked over to her and was very friendly. She never had such a small creature be so interested in her before, and she was sure that they would be best friends.

"Evie!" Beetun smacked her arm to pay attention. "She gonna wish the baby away now!"

"Is that a spider?" Blaggerspout was just as fascinated. "Oooh, it's cute!"

"Shh!" Evie snapped his mouth shut with her hand. "Hush, or Kingy will hear!"

Every goblin was thoroughly aware of the consequences of having a Spider anywhere near the Castle Beyond the Goblin City:

Bogged for life.

Well, it was only for a few hours. And not even _in_ the bog itself. Kingy would never truly allow that or else he would have to deal with smelly goblins tracking bog water in his castle.

But to the goblins, it definitely felt like it would be for life.

She didn't dare pick it up for fear of getting in trouble and just said hello. "Hello, Mr. Spider-"

_"I wish the Goblins would come and take you away. Right now!"_

Evie breathed a sigh of sadness she couldn't play with Mr. Spider for a while longer. She waved. "Bye bye!"

* * *

Kingy was acting a bit... odd.

To say the least.

He was glowering at his crystal obsessively at the lady who wished the baby away. It wasn't normal for him to be so obsessed with some girl. Or maybe he was glowering because the baby was crying.

Evie was drinking some ale, offering some to the chickens. Except for the baby crying, the goblins were having the time of their lives as they always did.

She did feel a bit sad though. She really missed Mr. Spider. She loved making new friends.

Seeing his friend's sad face, Blaggerspout tapped her on the head with a stick. "Hey! I gots a present for ya!"

Evie perked up, splashing a bit of ale on him on accident. "A present?"

"But it's a secret!" Blaggerspout looked around, making sure that all the other goblins were busy goblining and not paying attention to them. "Here."

He unwrapped his cloak.

And there he was! Mr. Spider!

"You brought him here?" Evie gently took him in her hands as gently as a goblin possibly could. "Hiya! He's so small."

Mr. Spider was a little hesitant at first, but then he seemed to recognize her from earlier. He excitedly crawled all over her arm and didn't shudder away.

She was so happy to have her little buddy back!

_"You remind me of the babe!"_

Evie and Blaggerspout looked up to see Kingy grabbing a goblin and throwing him into the air in preparation for Magic Dance.

Evie bounced up and down as the song progressed, loving this song as much as the next goblin. Any moment that Kingy wasn't being grumpy and bog obsessed was a good moment. "Come on, Mr. Spider!" She danced with him, narrowly avoiding Kingy's shiny, kicking boots as a fellow goblin was kicked into the air.

What Evie didn't understand was that this was, in fact, not a fun thing for Mr. Spider. Mr. Spider promptly thought it was an earthquake so he hopped off of her to go hide where it was safe and relatively quiet. Evie was so distracted, she didn't even realize that he was gone.

She, like every other goblin, had way too much ale and passed out on the floor the moment Magic Dance was over.

* * *

A while later, Evie woke up to screaming.

She didn't think much of it at first. Someone always seemed to be yelling in this kingdom.

Everyone, except for Kingy.

Who was the one screaming.

She looked up to see him, trying to put out the fire that was spreading from his cape to his shirt. He was standing on his throne, absolutely a mess.

His eyes were wide and haggard, his hair singed with fire. He threw a boot at something, still yelling more high pitch than the baby did.

The goblins, still drunk on ale, were a bit slow to react. Iglepus rubbed his eyes sleepily, a few feet from Evie, asking if Kingy was singing a new song.

"You buffoons!" He patted his hair and his cape. "Help me put this out!"

If he wasn't in such distress, it almost looked like he came up with a new and strange dance.

"I will help!" Little Oatie grabbed a chicken, throwing it on the king. "Get the fire, Chicky!"

Evie, being one of the more intelligent goblins, stared in horror as the chicken was caught on fire too. The poor creature clucked and pecked Kingy in her misery.

The fire was spreading at an alarming rate, and Kingy was quite distressed.

Seeing that there was some water, Evie threw it on both of them. The chicken bawked and ran away from him, still in shock.

Kingy looked a mess, his hair flat and dripping from the water. His clothes all tattered and torn. His make up smeared. Wiping the water off with the back of his hand, he revealed a few angry red marks on his body from being pecked by the chicken.

"I swear, I am going to grill that damned poultry and turn her into dinner." He murmured.

"NO!" Iglepus tried to hug the chicken but she just clucked at him and ran away. "Chickens are friends, not food!"

Other goblins chimed in, echoing the mantra.

_"Chickens are friends, not food! Chickens are friends, not food!"_

If there was ever a reason for them to actually stage a mutiny agains Kingy, it would be directly because of their love for chickens.

Kingy rubbed his forehead a few times, looking very tired. He stood up, still missing a boot as he threw one earlier.

His nostrils flared and his lips tightened, every goblin shrinking away at the hard look in his eyes. No one said one single word, which was quite rare for goblins.

"I want to know," His eyes swept over the crowed. "Who in the seven hells allowed a spider from the Aboveground into my home?" He said very, very quietly.

Much more terrifying than yelling.

No one answered.

"Well?" He demanded. "Someone had to let it in! It's giant, and I swear, if it's a female with baby spiders, I will bog each and every one of you for life!"

Still, no one said a word. Even the baby in striped pajamas was quiet.

Now calmer, Kingy let out a big sigh. "Well, wherever it is, it must be dead by now. Dastardly creature."

Evie started to tear up, but didn't let this show. Her new friend, dead?

It only made sense, it must've been why Kingy started the fire in the first place.

Kingy waved his hand around the throne room. "I am going to get cleaned up and changed. I expect this room to be spotless by the time I'm back. Understood?"

The goblins nodded. Satisfied, Kingy grabbed his boot and swept his cape on his way out.

Well, as best as he could anyway. Like the rest of his body, the cape was drenched and instead of a graceful motion, the cape schlopped across the face of a goblin and dragged on the floor.

As the goblins were using mops, their own clothes, uncooperative chickens, and other things to dry up the water, Evie rubbed her eyes sadly. How could she expect to go on cleaning when she was grieving for a lost friend?

"Evie sad?" Blaggerspout sat next to her, seeing her tears fall.

"I misses Mr. Spider." She sniffed. "I want him back. But he's dead."

Blaggerspout looked at his friend, feeling sorry that she was so upset over Mr. Spider. After all, he was the one who brought him there to the Underground. "Well, Mr. Spider needs a funeral."

"How?" Evie's vision was still blurry from her tears and her nose started to run.

"Dunno." He shrugged. "I never been. Let's ask."

They asked other goblins. Somehow, the consensus was that funerals were loud and full of parties. Parties with ale.

Evie wasn't so sure about joining in one, but she wanted nothing more than to honor her friend. If this was what friends do, then she would soldier up for him.

* * *

Kingy came back, dressed in all black, his waistcoat cinched in the middle and his medallion gleamed on his exposed chest. Looking somewhat content with the cleanliness in the room (as one could never really expect a room to be spotless with goblins involved), he proceeded to sit on his throne and look at the crystal again, the baby asleep next to him.

One by one, the goblins went to surround him as he peered into the crystal to see the girl. He always looked at runners, making sure of where they were but this was almost an obsession. His eyes furrowed as she chose down, falling into the oubliette.

"She's in the oubliette." He said with displeasure but also a hint of admiration.

The goblins laughed, thinking that's the reaction he wanted from them.

"Shut up!" He shook his head. "She should not have gotten as far as the oubliette, she should have given up by now."

**"** She'll never give up." Oatie said, clearly before she realized that she said them out loud.

**"** Won't she?" He looked around, silencing the rest of the goblins who would question him. "The dwarf's about to lead her back to the beginning, she'll soon give up when she realizes she has to start all over again!" He grinned, looking around.

The goblins were so unsure of what their king wanted that they just stayed quiet.

"Well, laugh!" He demanded.

The goblins did as told as he threw the crystal up in the air to catch it again, his laugh ringing through the throne room.

They watched on, Hoggle there to lead her back to the castle.

But then… Hoggle did the unspeakable. He was won over by her plastic bracelet, agreeing to take her to the castle.

"Cunning little twat." Kingy bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes aflame. "How dare she manipulate my own subject? And how dare he commit treason by betraying me? I must take care of this!"

He stood up, his hand midwave as he was about to perform some magic when his whole body froze and his eyes widened.

Evie looked to see where his eyes were gazing.

On the ledge, crawling as quickly as he could was Mr. Spider.

Evie gasped in happiness. It took all she could to not run to him and say hello. He was alive!

Kingy took a few deep breaths. Lifting his hand, he was shaking as he pointed at the spider. "I want that creature gone by the time I come back from taking care of the Girl and the Dwarf. And by gone, I mean _dead_."

He finished his hand wave, changing into yet another outfit, an asymmetrical brown jacket and grey pants as tight as ever. With a shower of glitter, he was gone.

"Okay, let me get the chicken to eat it!" Iglepus went to grab a chicken.

Evie panicked. The thought of Mr. Spider getting eaten was too much to bear. "No, don't!"

"Why not?" Iglepus scratched his head. "She can have food too! Some protein!"

"Yeah!" Oatie echoed.

Never mind that none of them had an inkling of what the hell protein even was. It was just words that they had heard Kingy say.

"Because… because…" Evie trailed off a bit. "Because poison!"

"Poison? What's that?" Another goblin asked.

Being nearly indestructible to the point that getting kicked by Kingy was ticklish, goblins hardly got hurt. Poison was nearly unheard of to them.

"It's when… it's like…" Evie kept an eye on Mr. Spider, making sure that no goblin was hurting him. She tried to think of the worst thing possible to her. "It's like bog water!"

All the goblins gasped. "Bog?"

"Bog!" Evie stood confidently. "Bog will kill chicken!"

"So spider is a bog? How?" One of them blinked, absolutely terrified.

"Dunno." Evie shrugged. "But it's okay! I will take care of spider. Chicken won't get bog."

"Is it because Kingy will bog chicken if chicken eats spider?" Beetun asked.

Evie nodded, wanting to get to Mr. Spider as quickly as she could. "Kingy bog chicken! Worse than making chicken food!"

"CHICKENS ARE FRIENDS!" Iglepus started.

"NOT FOOD!" The other goblins echoed after him.

Evie breathed a sigh of relief, going to retrieve the little guy in her hand, Mr. Spider relaxing once he was safe in her palm.

She ran out of the castle. Kingy wanted him gone, so she would make sure that he would be far away.

Going to her home in Goblin City, not too far from the castle, she set Mr. Spider in a drawer as he was sleeping. She made sure to put a small blanket inside so that he could rest.

Now, she had no idea what to feed spiders, but she was sure that Mr. Spider was hungry. She had some crickets in her cabinet that she could give him when he woke up.

Exhausted, she fell asleep.

* * *

When she woke, she made sure to give the crickets to Mr. Spider. He seemed very grateful and happy to be with her. She tried to play games with him, but he didn't really understand. She didn't mind though, he was a good listener and didn't mind when she sang songs and played games alone. He was good company.

She heard a knock on the door. Peeking out the window, she saw Blaggerspout so she let him in.

"Hi!" She closed the door.

"Hello." He sat on the floor, seeing that there was a game of marbles spread out. "How is Mr. Spider?"

"He is happy!" Evie whistled, or as best as she could. She was never very good at whistling. "He doesn't play games, but he likes to eat crickets."

"Neat!" Blaggerspout spotted the arachnid. He waved. "Hello!"

Mr. Spider recognized him too, crawling to him and sitting on his shoe.

"What happened to the Lady?" Evie had no idea how much time had passed.

"Sleepy." Blaggerspout scrunched his eyebrows. "Kingy gives her peach. Lady sleep."

"Lady dream?" Evie asked. They were familiar with runners who would dream, a way to distract them until time was up. "What she dream about?"

"Weird dream." Blaggerspout scratched his head. "She dream of Kingy."

Evie blinked. "Whaaaat?"

That was new. Most runners would dream of things like money or ruling the world. Or their own loved ones. A peach was meant for you to dream of what you desired most, after all. Or a nightmare, depending on the dreamer themselves if they allowed it to be that way. They never dreamed of Kingy, except this lady apparently.

"What did Kingy do?" Evie was intrigued.

"Kingy watch. I thinks Kingy likes Lady." Blaggerspout shrugged. "Lady very pretty. Lady had pretty dress and sparkles."

"Aww." Evie was disappointed. She loved pretty dresses and sparkles. "I wanna see!"

"Well, too bad." Blaggerspout shrugged. "Lady in junkyard now."

Evie frowned. She liked the things she found there, but the junk ladies tried to make her stay there forever.

"Kingy ask about Mr. Spider?" She didn't want him to knock down her door and find Mr. Spider and try to kill him again.

"Nah." Blaggerspout reassured her. "Kingy too googly-eyed for Lady."

Getting their minds off of that, she and Blaggerspout played another game of marbles for a while while Mr. Spider was spinning a web. When they realize what he was doing, they went to watch him, fascinated.

A few hours later, there was a bit of commotion. Looking out, they saw the goblin soldiers marching.

Evie's and Blaggerspout's mouth dropped open at the sight of the Lady in Goblin City. Canons were going off, soldiers running after her.

"Oh no!" Evie took Mr. Spider in her hand, afraid that one of the canon-goblins would come and destroy her home too.

Everything was chaotic. It went on for a while, Evie and Blaggerspout trying to find shelter. Chickens were running amok. Rocks were raining. Cats were meowing.

It was a mess.

They had lost Mr. Spider a few times, scaring the bejeebers out of Evie. Luckily, they found him on the side of a house and promptly retrieved him in a jar. It couldn't have been comfortable but it kept him safe at least.

By the time everything died down, the entire city was in ruins. Evie and Blaggerspout went to go and take care of their homes.

"Well, that was a close call, wasn't it, Mr. Spider?" She cradled him close to her, happy that he was okay.

She had heard that there was a party at Lady's place, which was new. No one ever won. However, she was not about to say no to a party!

She liked Lady, she was very friendly and very fun. She was gave them all hugs and offered them snacks.

They danced, sang silly songs, and played more games. Such was the life of a goblin.

It was a bit later that Evie realized that once again, Mr. Spider was not with her.

"Oh no!" She gasped.

She went to retrace her steps. Well, he wasn't in her home. He wasn't at the gate.

She thought that maybe Blaggerspout would know. She knew that he had gone to the castle to retrieve some helmet for a game.

She went into the throne room, seeing Kingy despondent, looking out into the Labyrinth. He looked… sad?

Like someone had taken the sparkles out of his heart. Or something. Evie had no idea what the saying actually was.

It then occurred to her that everyone was invited to Lady's home for the party except him.

That made her a bit sad. Especially when they were singing Magic Dance, his song that he created for them to sing to.

His head perked up at the sound of her shuffling in. Sighing, he turned around, greeting her. "Evie, what are you doing here?"

His voice was very quiet. Sometimes he did that when he was tired or when he wasn't in the mood to kick anyone. Looking into his eyes, Evie saw that they were shining with tears.

She had no idea how to respond to him being sad. She didn't want to be bogged, for he threatened to bog anyone who questioned his motives and his personal life. "Just looking for Blaggerspout." She settled.

Kingy nodded. He tilted his head toward the direction of the Goblin Armory, which was more like a playroom than a real armory. "He's there."

Evie wrung her hands a little, taking a chance. "Why you not dance in Lady's room?"

Kingy frowned, his eyes scrunching together. Evie shirked away, sure that she did something wrong.

But he didn't kick her, bog her, or even spoke harshly. He just sighed and sat on the ledge, twirling a crystal. "I don't think she would want me there."

Evie had never heard his voice break like that before.

"Kingy-"

"Just leave. Please." He looked away from her.

He never said "please" to the goblins. _He must be really sad,_ Evie thought. She shuffled away to find Blaggerspout.

Blaggerspout was looking for a helmet, trying a few on. He waved to Evie. "Evie! Did you want one too?"

"Sure." She took one, examining it. "Have you seen Mr. Spider?"

Blaggerspout shook his head. "Oh no, did you lose him again?"

Just as Evie was about to answer, she heard some yelling from the throne room.

Both goblins ran in, Kingy standing on his throne, throwing things at a black spot on the ground. "Why won't you _just_ _die_?!" He was horrible at aiming at the moment, his hands shaky.

Evie and Blaggerspout saw a spider on the ground, expertly missing the throws. At one point, it looked like it was giving up on being defensive and ran towards the throne.

"Stay the hell away from me, you freakish demon!" Kingy jumped off the throne as Mr. Spider climbed onto a leg of the throne.

Taking a deep breath, Kingy carefully got the courage to create a crystal. It glowed, flecks of orange and red swirls inside.

A fireball.

"Now, you will DIE!" He went to throw it.

"NOOOOOO!" Evie ran to stand in front of Kingy. "Not Mr. Spider!"

"Evie, I don't have time for this!" He raised the crystal again. "I had enough to deal with for today! I should've known better when I heard that you were the one who promised to take care of it!"

"Kingy no." She sat on his throne, putting her body between herself and Mr. Spider.

"Evie." He warned her, his patience thinning. "If you don't move-"

"I don't care!" She sobbed, curling her body over Mr. Spider, protecting him. She had done so much for him. She Magic Danced, saved him from the chicken, and gave him a home. She just wanted her new friend to be okay. He was a creature too. "Bog me! Please don't hurt him, he's my friend! Just a tiny baby!"

"He's a bloody spider!" Kingy waved the crystal away. "A baby? Practically the size of a dog! Look at how big he is and how-"

He stopped mid sentence as Evie sobbed.

She picked him up and held him near her heart. "Please, Kingy? I love him. He's my friend. He doesn't bite. He doesn't scream. He just wants a home. He's scared. He won't kill you, I promise."

Kingy didn't move, unsure of what the spider would do. "I'm not so sure about that. He's giant."

Mr. Spider fanned his legs out, proving Kingy's point.

"But he didn't hurt me at all today, even when we Magic Dance!" She pleaded.

Kingy closed his eyes. His voice was soft now, from giving up or from understanding, she didn't know. "Where did you find him, Evie? Why did you bring him here?"

"I did."

Both turned to see Blaggerspout come out of the shadows.

He bravely faced his sovereign. "I found him in Lady's room." He told Kingy. "When she wishes baby away, so Mr. Spider can be Evie's friend."

Kingy huffed so sudden and so loudly, both goblins and spider jumped. "Sarah, Sarah. Causing me so much grief today. Charming my subjects while infuriating me along the same vein."

Evie and Blaggerspout looked at each other. They knew exactly what he didn't say: that he was also charmed by her.

He turned around. "Against my better judgement, I will allow you to keep Mr. Spider. But on the condition that he does not come _anywhere_ near me or this castle. He is to be kept in your home. And, you will update me on where he is. If he is lost, we will find him to help you."

Evie was so happy. Finally, she didn't have to hide Mr. Spider and could show him off to all her friends without fear that Kingy would murder him. "Thank you, Kingy!"

She went to hug his leg, putting the spider down. She looked at Kingy adoringly, thankful that he was letting her keep her new friend.

Kingy shook his head and patted her head affectionately. "You're welcome, Evie."

She let him go. "He's not so scary though." She picked Mr. Spider up. "You can hold him."

"Evie, this is where I draw the line." He held his hands up, ready to fight the spider if it attacked him. "I will not tolerate a freeloading arthropod in my home."

Evie sighed, a bit disappointed that Kingy wasn't loving her friend, but no matter. "Okie. I will go now. Bye Kingy!"

And she trotted off.

"Blaggerspout!" Kingy called after her friend. Evie stopped by the doorway as her fellow goblin nervously walked to Kingy's side.

"Yes, Kingy?" He bowed his head a little.

"I cannot believe that you knowingly took a spider here. In my castle." He snarled. "You know the rules. If you do it again, I will lock you in an oubliette near the bog for a month, you hear me?"

Blaggerspout nodded, happy that he wasn't getting bogged after all. "Yes, Kingy."

As the goblins trotted off with their friend, Evie took one last look at Kingy, seeing that he no longer looked as sad, but had a small smile on his face, chuckling about his subjects.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this wasn't supposed to have a sequel but I can't get this idea out of my head that Sarah learns about Jareth's arachnophobia and how that pans out (also, I can't leave a Labyrinth story on its own without Jareth and Sarah coming together apparently). Also, I love Evie way too much to leave it at that. 
> 
> Note: while Chapter 1 was from Evie's POV because of the LFFL writing challenge, this one has a mix of hers, other goblins, Jareth's, and Sarah's.

_2 years later_

"Hi Lady!" Evie sat on Lady's bed, watching her pack a few things. "Where are you going?"

Sarah smiled at the sweet little goblin and patted her head, giving her a potato chip to snack on. "I'm going away to college, I believe that I told you about that a while back."

18-year-old Sarah was more mature, more beautiful than she had been at age 16. But more importantly, she was wiser and kinder. "You can still visit me, I've found an apartment so I'll be living alone."

Evie grinned. "Okie! Will you come back here?"

"Sometimes, for school breaks." She responded, putting more clothes in. Sarah didn't want to take too many things but she still wanted a bit of home with her. She picked up the little music box with the dancing girl and the figure of the Goblin King she had made, feeling a bit melancholy at what happened two years ago.

She didn't regret what she did to get Toby back, but rather, what she _didn't_ do. She didn't ask the King what he meant, didn't try to contact him. He hadn't contacted her, so she wondered if he hated her and never wanted to find out if he did.

Not long after her adventure, she realized that she had magic powers. She couldn't create crystals, but she could make a few things move on their own. Small things. She supposed that she could ask Jareth how to improve it, but she had put it off for so long that she wasn't sure how to even start that conversation.

Plus, shouldn't she be hating him too? For playing these mind games and being so dramatic that he sent the cleaners after her when she insulted him once?

As Lady was packing and thinking hard, Evie explored her room. She loved being in Lady's room. She had so many interesting things and sometimes, Lady even put some make up on her too. She had called it "drugstore make up" whatever that meant. Today, she saw something new that caught her eye. "Lady, what is that?"

Lady looked up to see her pointing to a container of sorts. "Oh! That's Travis the tarantula. Isn't he beautiful?"

Evie agreed wholeheartedly. She was amazed at how big this spider was, he was much bigger than her own Mr. Spider. "Is he your friend?"

"More like Toby's, but yes he is." Lady leaned down to observe Travis with Evie. "He really wanted one, Karen wasn't very happy about a giant spider but Dad agreed to take care of him. Toby's room needs some remodeling so I'm keeping it here for now."

She opened the lid carefully. "Do you want to say hi to him?"

Evie gasped. "Oh yes please!"

Lady carefully took him in her hand and held him to Evie, once she was sure that Travis was alright with being held at that moment.

Evie wanted to hold him but he looked a bit unsure so she just settled with watching him. Her smile could not have been bigger. "I wonder if Travis and Mr. Spider would be friends."

"That would be cool." Lady had such a pretty smile. "Evie-"

"Sarah!" Robert William's voice rang through the hallway. "Time for dinner!"

Lady answered back. "Coming, Dad!"

"I go now." Evie waved by to Travis. "I will see you later! Bye Lady!"

"Bye Evie. Tell Mr. Spider I said hello."

* * *

"Did you hold him?" Oatie asked Evie.

"Nah." Evie answered. "He didn't like me too much yet."

When Evie left to go back to tend to Mr. Spider, Oatie decided she wanted to see Travis for herself.

She went to Lady's room, but Lady wasn't there. She spotted Travis in his little home.

"Hi!" She waved at Travis.

Travis seemed a bit apprehensive.

Oatie opened the lid and picked him up. "Evie was too worried to hold you, but you're okay!"

Turns out, it was in fact, _not_ okay. Travis jumped off of her and ran away.

"Hey, come back!" Oatie ran after him.

He crawled away from her as far as possible. Oatie chased after him to the point where he went to the mirror, the portal to the Underground…

…and went right through.

"Oh no!" Oatie face palmed. Now she'd done it! She had to hurry, make sure that Travis was back before Lady found out and banned them from ever going into her room and eating Oreos ever again.

Bog damn it.

* * *

Jareth hated that he knew what day this was. He hated that he knew that this was the second anniversary of the only time a human had beaten his Labyrinth.

Or at least, that's what he told himself. That this was the only reason he was upset, not because of the loss of her cruel yet beautiful green eyes and stunning smile.

He felt guilty for the way he acted towards Sarah. That was unacceptable. What was he thinking?

He was also heartbroken. No one had ever dreamed of him while eating the peach. No one really wanted him. He was fun to dally with, but more often than not, his title either intimidated lovers who were commoners as they didn't want to have to associate themselves with the pettiness of court or they didn't think he was good enough for them. There was always an ulterior motive.

Sarah was fascinated by him, but she didn't say yes to his plea. She had already won, and he was tired by the time she had beaten him. He was used to getting whatever he wanted and wrongfully told her that he wanted to rule her because he didn't know how to just tell her honestly that he wanted her for who she was.

The closest he had been to telling her what was in his heart was when he sang As the World Falls Down to her. Sure, he had known her for such a short time, but she wasn't afraid of him. And the fact that she dreamt of him and the song showed that she was sincere in her desire.

He opened a bottle of wine, drinking straight from it. "I am going to die alone." He said in a sing-song voice.

Draping himself over the throne, he watched as his goblins were being annoying. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Oatie ran into the throne room. "I need help! Lady-"

She stopped in her tracks. Every goblin was dead quiet. Which was never a good sign unless they were sleeping.

Pushing everyone forward, she realized that they were staring at Travis.

Who was sitting on Kingy's face.

"Is he dead?" Iglepus asked.

"No, I saw a leg move." Beetun pointed at Kingy's face.

"I mean Kingy." Iglepus rolled his eyes.

"No, he's sleeping." Another goblin answered. "Should we still wait for Blaggerspout?"

When Oatie was going to ask what the heck Blaggerspout had anything to do with this, she heard running footsteps.

Two figures appeared.

"I gots her!" Blaggerspout dragged Evie forward. "Spider expert!"

"Shh!" All the goblins hushed him. "Kingy is sleepy!"

And that was just as well. Evie gingerly walked forward, trying to coax Travis. "Come here, Travis. I gots you!"

She inched closer and Travis inched away from her.

"Oh come on." Evie was a bit nervous about touching Kingy's face. "Please, Travis?"

Travis still wouldn't budge.

Evie let out a sigh of frustration.

"Do you think she can do it?" One goblin asked.

"Dunno, would the spider get bogged?"

"Bogged? But that's Lady's spider!"

"Would Lady get bogged?"

"No, Kingy like Lady too much."

"Lady very pretty!"

"But Chicken is prettiest!"

"Nuh uh! Lady has sparkly makedown!"

"You mean make _up_?"

"CHICKEN IS PRETTIEST!"

"NO, Kingy is!"

"I saw Lady eat chicken nuggets!"

"NOOO!"

"Chicken are friends, not food!"

And, that was the start of the chants.

" _CHICKENS ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOOD!_ _CHICKENS ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOOD!"_

At the commotion, Kingy slowly opened his eyes. Evie lost her nerve and shrank back with the rest of the goblins.

Evie covered her ears at the impending scream.

Jareth groaned. Crap, the alcohol was making his head hurt. He knew he should've retired to his chambers. Why did his face feel fuzzy?

Then something tangled in his hair. Huh?

When he realized what was on him, he screamed. "WHAT THE F-"

And let out every expletive he knew.

He tried to pry the giant spider away from him but the spider held on to his cloak after it fell off of his face. "MONSTER! GET IT OFF ME!"

He started to cry, which was quite undignified but he couldn't help it. Spiders scared him that much.

Everything was a blur until he started to run. He had no idea where he was running to or why, possibly to try to detach the spider without touching it directly. He couldn't think right when there was a spider involved.

Somehow, he ended up in his chambers. He tore off his cloak and saw the spider peeking out from it.

"Not today, you demon!" He grabbed books from his nightstand and threw it at the arthropod.

* * *

Sarah was panicking.

She was sure that she closed the lid to Travis's cage. But as of right now, it was opened. Unfortunately, from her packing, her stuff was everywhere and the spider could be anywhere.

She liked spiders but even she would have a heart attack if he showed up when she least expected it. She just hoped that she could find him before Toby or her parents asked for him.

"LADYYYYYY!"

She turned her head to see Blaggerspout, Evie, Oatie, and Iglepus coming out of her mirror.

"Lady, we needs your help! A monster is in the castle!" Iglepus flopped over, tired from running.

"He's not a monster-" Evie tried to say, but Blaggerspout interrupted her.

"Kingy says he's a monster!"

"Well we needs you!" Oatie begged her. "You has magic! He's going to EAT KINGY!"

Sarah wasn't sure what to do. Her mind froze for a second. A monster?

She still had to look for Travis. Crap. What was she going to do?

Evie was visibly upset and was rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I SAID, he's not a-"

"LADY PLEASE!" Blaggerspout tugged on her pant leg. "Kingy needs you. He's going to die!"

At those words, Sarah felt her heart break. She hadn't seen Jareth for a few years but the thought of him dying made her feel sick. She told herself it was because he was the guardian of her three friends and the goblins.

She rolled up her sleeves. She wasn't sure how she could help as her magic was so limited, but she was not going to let him die on her watch. She would just have to find Travis later. "Okay, I'll go."

* * *

Evie kept trying to tell Lady that it was not a monster, just Travis but everyone kept interrupting her to the point that she was crying. She hadn't eaten in a while and was very sleepy.

"Where is he?" Lady asked her dwarf friend. "I heard there's a monster."

"In his chambers." The dwarf answered. "I will keep everyone safe, Didymus keeps trying to barge in but I'm afraid that he's going to get hurt. Ludo is keeping himself safe."

"Well, you go and keep safe. I will take care of Didymus." She said, all businesslike.

Indeed, the fox was growling and hitting the door. "Unhand His Majesty, you fiend!"

"Sir Didymus!" Sarah paled at hearing Jareth's screams from inside.

" _LEAVE ME BE!_ " She heard a sob from the inside. Jareth was clearly directing his voice at whatever monster was in there. Wow, she didn't think that he could cry. " _Don't hurt me, please._ "

"Sir Didymus." She grabbed him and pulled him away. "You stay behind me, I have magic."

"My Lady, you cannot be serious! It is my duty and my honor to protect a lady such as thee-"

" _AHHHHH!_ "

The screams were even louder.

"Lady." Evie tried to talk to her again. "It's not-"

"Not now, Evie." Sarah said with frustration. "You shouldn't be here, you should be at home, safe. Is there anyone else we can alert? Some other powerful magical creature?"

"No time, Fair Maiden!" Didymus slammed his body into the door.

It budged a little.

Sarah found it odd that a king's door was so weak that her tiny, chihuahua-sized friend could break it down.

Then, she saw it.

"Didymus, did you actually try to open the door itself?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Didymus stopped and looked at her sheepishly. "Well no, I had assumed His Majesty locked it."

Sarah rolled her eyes, but no matter. She brought her hands up in a fighting position. "On the count of three, open the door for me and I'll use magic."

Didymus grabbed ahold of the handle. "Be safe, Sarah."

Sarah nodded. She tried to not think of fear, just to focus on what she was doing and let the adrenaline fuel her. "One, two, three!"

Didymus opened the door.

Sarah ran in without thought for herself. "HEY!"

She meant to get the attention of whatever it was, but she didn't see anything at first. She did see that the room was a mess, with books all over and burn marks on the walls. Looking to her left, she saw messy, platinum blond hair peeking out of the covers.

And on the edge of the bed was none other than Travis.

"I don't understand." She held her hands up. "I heard there was a monster in here."

"It's Travis!" Evie finally said it. "Kingy doesn't like spiders and thinks they're monsters."

"Look at the size of that thing!" Jareth's voice was raspy from all the screaming. "Of course it's a monster!"

Sarah let out a breath of relief, her body shaking a bit from all the excitement. She let her hands down and turned to the doorway. "Evie, can you go and get Travis's temporary container?"

Evie trotted off and did as told. Sir Didymus stood there awkwardly. "Well, I suppose I shall make my leave and tell Brother Hoggle what happened?"

Sarah sighed. "Yes, tell them that all is alright."

When he left, she was alone with Jareth for the first time in two years.

Well, him and Travis.

"He won't hurt you." She said, feeling bad that he was hiding, but also trying to distract herself so she wasn't laughing. The big bad Goblin King, scared of spiders?

"How do you know?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"Because he's Toby's pet. These tarantulas are very docile." She held her hand out, going slowly. Travis could be fast if he wanted to be. "Travis, it's okay. I'm here sweetie."

"Really?" Jareth snorted. "Sweetie? You allow this creature to come into contact with a child?"

Sarah ignored him. She opened her hands and carried him.

"I'm back, Lady." Evie held up a little temporary container for him.

"Thank you." Sarah put him inside and closed it. "I wonder how he got out." She wondered out loud.

"I bet I can answer that."

Both of them looked to see Jareth sit up. His face was red, and not just from crying either.

"What happened to your face?" Sarah was horrified at the left side looking extremely irritated.

"That demon," he pointed at Travis with a shaky finger. "Sat on my face while I was asleep. It's poisoned my face and I'll probably die tomorrow."

"You are so dramatic." Sarah wasn't having his bad attitude. "You probably had an allergic reaction. You scared the poor thing!"

"It's a spider, I have no remorse for it invading my castle." He brushed his hair out of his eyes and stood now that the threat was out of the way. "And you, Evie."

Evie wasn't sure what she did wrong. She just stood there, a little scared.

"Your actions have brought yet another spider here." He said. "You know the consequences of it."

"No, I didn't." She said in a small voice. Why was she getting in trouble for something that she didn't even do?

"I have a hard time believing that since you love spiders so much." He growled, his eyes murderous and impatient. "It wasn't enough that I allowed Mr. Spider to stay in your home?"

"I DID NOT!" Evie screamed.

Goblins were like children. And she definitely felt like one at that moment. "I didn't even get to hold Travis!"

She crumbled on the floor and cried. "I have to do everything! And Lady told me to not talk, and everyone was calling him a monster and I just went to help! No one listens to me and it makes me SAD!"

Jareth realized that he was wrong. Evie would admit it if she did that and she didn't. "Evie-"

" _Waaaaa!_ " She cried. "I just wanted to help get Travis off Kingy's face and I get in trouble! I DON'T WANT TO GET BOGGED!"

Sarah shot him a _look-what-you've-done_ expression and went to pick the little goblin up in her lap. "Hey, it's okay. Shhhh. You're not in trouble, okay?"

Evie was still sobbing but she was crying quieter now.

"How about I get you some milk and cookies? Hmm?" Sarah rubbed her back affectionately. "Maybe we can wear some make up? You can have all the sparkles that you want."

Evie sniffed. "And then I will look pretty?"

"The prettiest." Sarah reassured her.

Evie looked up to see her kind face. She nodded. "Okie. I'm sleepy now. Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is." Sarah hugged her. "Go get some sleep. Drink some water."

When Evie went away, Sarah looked up to see Jareth looking at her softly before glaring at her again.

"What?" She demanded, not liking that glare.

"You are undermining my authority in front of the goblins." He sat on the foot of his bed, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Maybe if you listened, you would be able to hear her side of the story." Sarah stood up, facing him. How was he still so gorgeous even when he looked like a mess. "You know, Evie is very responsible when it comes to spiders. Maybe it was my fault or someone else released Travis. You should thank her for coming to help you. It's not her fault you have arachnophobia."

"Now you're going too far." He snarled. "Look at the harm it caused my face."

"You're probably just allergic, it'll calm down." Sarah picked up the container with Travis in it. "I'll go and won't ever bother you again."

She walked out, but stopped at the doorway. Turning back, She made one last remark. "You know, I came here to help you. All I heard that there was a monster and the situation was urgent. I only have very little magic but the goblins insisted that I help. I thought I was risking my life coming to help you, only to find that you're just being dramatic and angry."

She practically stomped all the way back home. Setting Travis back in his home, Sarah tried to not think of the Goblin King again.

* * *

Jareth rubbed his temple. Damn it.

Not only did he look especially stupid and not at all his usual gorgeous self when she came in, he had snapped at her and Evie. It was sure to ruin any chances with her.

To amend himself, he brought some milk and cookies to Evie's home. The little Goblin forgave easily, just happy that he wasn't going to bog her. She hugged his leg and asked if Lady could visit Goblin City, and he shrugged, saying that was up to Sarah. Now he was to apologize to Sarah. He wasn't expecting her to want to speak to him, but he wanted to at least say he was sorry. She deserved that much.

After he left, Evie contemplated a bit. She hoped that Lady would visit, but for now, she was content. She was happy that Kingy wouldn't bog anyone. She found out that Oatie was the one who was curious about Travis but she promised to say nothing. It would be their secret.

* * *

Sarah heard something clinking at her window. Rubbing her tired eyes, she saw a beautiful barn owl there.

"Oh. It's you." She opened the window but not the screen. "What do you want?"

He stared at her for a moment. Then rubbed his head against the window.

"Fine." She opened it.

The little owl flew in and landed on the floor. Just like that fateful night two years ago, he grew into his natural fae form, dressed in a comfortable black poet's shirt and tight pants with boots. He still had a bit of a rash on his face.

The tension in the air between them was so palpable that it was a wonder that they weren't crushed by it.

Jareth cleared his throat first, then spoke. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

She blinked. The Goblin King, apologizing?

He continued. "You didn't have to come to try to help me, but you did. Without thought of your own safety. I don't know why you would do such a thing, especially how I treated you two years ago."

Sarah's voice came out quieter than she had wanted. She had been so ready to yell at him but this was so unexpected. "Thank you, that means a lot to me."

There was a bit of silence. Neither was angry anymore but were still very much on guard.

Jareth opened his mouth, not realizing the words that came out of his mouth. "Sarah, why have you never visited the Underground, especially as you have so many friends there?" He asked her, unsure why he allowed his true feelings to come out.

Sarah smiled a bit sadly, wringing her hands together. "I didn't know I could. You never invited me."

"You never asked."

"I guess…" she thought about it for a moment, then decided to be honest. "I thought you hated me."

He looked a bit surprised. "No, I don't hate you."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Infuriated, frustrated, sometimes angry, yes. But never hate. It's impossible to hate someone as kind and caring as you."

His blue eyes were creating a fire within her. Not the roaring and violent kind, but the comforting and warm kind. The blazing intensity would have been too much for most people but she welcomed it.

Sarah blushed a bit, hoping that the dark wouldn't allow him to see. "Thank you. That's kind of you to say."

Maybe she was misreading him, but his eyes, while still just as intense, were softer. "For the record, I've never hated you either."

"You didn't?" He asked back, sounding equally surprised and with hint of happiness.

Sarah shook her head. "No. I don't hate you. I mean, you were a jerk, but it was my fault for wishing Toby away. And I know that you're a good king to your subjects. They all adore you."

Her smile was so sincere, so sweet, he couldn't help but smile too.

"So, I also apologize for undermining your authority and for bringing up your fear of spiders. I understand having a phobia. Forgive me?"

He felt his heart expand at the sight of her just in her shorts and oversized t-shirt. Even wearing such mundane clothing, she was so beautiful.

But who was he kidding? She was always his equal. Always had been, always will be.

Never had anyone impressed or charmed him the way she did.

"Of course." He inclined his head. "And, you are always welcome in my kingdom."

"I appreciate that." Sarah replied. Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the moonlight. "It's too bad that it took a spider for us to have this conversation."

Jareth chuckled. "Yes, it is. I am glad that it's in its home and not going to murder me."

Sarah shook her head, laughing.

"Well, I suppose I should go now." He finally said, a little reluctant to leave (even with the spider in the background) but couldn't find another reason to stay.

"Wait, I have something that could help your rash." Sarah realized. She gestured to her bed. "Have a seat, I will be right back."

She went to the medicine cabinet and grabbed some calamine lotion. When she came back, she sat next to him, bottle in her hand.

Jareth watched her as she opened the bottle cap. She paused, trying to not look nervous. "Would it be alright if I did it for you? It's probably easier than you doing it on your own."

He nodded. "Yes, go ahead. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." She poured some in her hand and rubbed it on his cheek. His eyes were closed as she applied it.

This was the first time that they had ever touched skin to skin. Jareth was amazed at how gentle she was being and how much he loved her touch. Every stroke of her fingers swept across his face with the utmost care. It was almost addicting to him and he had to restrain himself from kissing her.

Sarah felt the urge to kiss him but didn't. She had kissed boys in high school, but this was Jareth, the object of her fantasies. She swore she felt his heartbeat as she glided across his skin. In many ways, he looked and felt human. But there was also this undercurrent of magic that radiated all over him.

"There." She said when she was done. He opened his eyes and smiled at her gratefully. Her heart raced even faster.

"You are quite the knight in shining armor." He teased her a little. "I suppose that makes me the Goblin King in distress."

Sarah didn't mean to say it, the words just came out of her mouth. "So, shouldn't the knight get a kiss for all the work done to save the one in distress?"

Jareth's eyes widened at her boldness. Sarah was equally shocked but didn't back down.

Just as she started to get nervous, Jareth moved his face closer to her, their lips almost touching. "Does the knight want a kiss? Because I'll gladly give it."

Sarah could hardly breathe. "Yes, she does."

He pressed his lips oh so gently to hers. Two years of repressed emotions were let out at this very moment.

Jareth wrapped his arm around her waist and Sarah put a hand on his shoulder, sliding up to his large hair. Her other hand slide down to his exposed chest and tangled her fingers in his medallion. Jareth growled at the possessive move and kissed her harder, nibbling her top lip and tasting her. He swept his tongue to the roof of her mouth and grinned as he felt her little moan.

Pulling away, he kissed her neck, one of his hands brushing against her collarbone. "You are magnificent, Sarah."

Could this be? Could she really want him just as much as he wanted her?

He looked into her beautiful, shining green eyes. His dark-haired beauty was blushed from breathlessness. "I think you're wonderful too."

Sarah could hardly believe it. Not a few hours ago, they were arguing and now he was kissing her.

Somehow, she knew he meant it. That this wasn't just a kiss, but something more.

He kissed the back of one of her hands, never taking his eyes off of hers. "Sarah, might I court you? You can come to my world or I can come here. Either way, I would like to get to know you more, to see where this leads. Just for a short amount of time."

Sarah's response was to kiss him again. "Yes, Jareth. I'd love that."

As they kissed for the third time, Travis the Tarantula wasn't too far away, sound asleep in his home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the Labyrinth Fan Fic Lovers facebook group for suggesting this writing challenge to write a story! I hope that you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reading, please leave a review! :) And, if you leave said review, I'm curious as to whether you're like Jareth or like Evie when it comes to spiders. I'm definitely Jareth! I wish I wasn't but I am!


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